After analyzing all the information, I have come to the
somewhat surprising conclusion that, whatever the ultimate
outcome may be in New York, Spitzer's treasonous behavior
represents a win—and a huge one—for
patriotic immigration reformers.

Spitzer's decree that he will allow
New York illegal aliens to get licenses —the most blatant
disregard for immigration law I've witnessed over two
decades—will not be any different.

Spitzer vows that New York roads will be safer because the
newly licensed will buy
insurance—but with what money? And he pledges that licenses
in the hands of aliens will enhance security—but how? All of the
9/11 terrorists would qualify under Spitzer's plan.

Spitzer's dream hinges on two variables both of which are
deeply flawed:

Will the new
"equipment" to be installed at DMV offices assist clerks
("specially trained") to verify the authenticity of a
foreign passport really work?

That is, is the passport presented from, for example, a
person claiming to be from
Uganda, real or fraudulent? Proponents insist that the
technology, provided by
L-1 Identity Solutions, is failsafe. But last
week, Wayne County clerk, Michael Jankowski, derisively referred
to the document scanners as a "magic box coming down from
Albany" and said details about the specifics had not yet
reached his office.[
Spitzer's Plan Hit on Timing, Technology, By Benjamin
Sarlin, New York Sun, October 10, 2007]

Whether the scanners are effective or not, many doubt that
they will be in place before the December deadline. And most
detractors agree that hurry-up training given to clerks, such as
it may be, will be inadequate.

As Merola told me, "As great as our DMV employees are,
they have never had any experience in foreign document checks."

That, Merola added, is an ICE responsibility. And, Merola
continued, "even if the passports are current and valid, the
holder of them
may well be an illegal alien."

Will aliens be able to
satisfy New York's six points of identification requirement?

The foreign passport, if certified as legitimate, represents
three of the necessary six points to qualify for a license. The
balance of the needed points can come from a mish-mash of
identification easily cooked up: a U.S.
high school ID card or a
report card (two points); a
utility bill (one point); a
supermarket check cashing card (one) or a cancelled check
with the name pre-printed on its face (one). Read the entire
list
here.

New York's current list of
46 items deemed as acceptable I.D. will soon be expanded to
60. The exact details are not clear since, like everything else
about Spitzer's legislation, sessions are held behind closed
doors. But the purpose of a longer list obviously makes it
easier for an alien to qualify.

Sensenbrenner said that citizens and green card holders:
"should be legitimately outraged."

Two final indignities: aliens will be issued a license
identical to those given to citizens. And, as Merola told me, to
ease any inconvenience aliens might experience in the obtaining
a license, they will be able to make DMV appointments for
processing their application.

Imagine Spitzer's audacity when he claims that his policy
evolves
from Bush's failures. Talk about passing the buck!

Said Spitzer:

"Let me be very clear about
something —they, in Washington, have created a debacle. By
failing to enforce the immigration laws for 20 years, we now
have a million people in New York State whose immigration
statusmay be a bit unclear. [emphasis added]

"The president is living in a fog
where he would prefer that we in New York State ignore the
reality. I as governor, as a prosecutor, am going to ensure the
security of this state, and that's what this plan does.[Spitzer
Unbowed by Critics of License Plan, By Robert J.
McCarthy, Buffalo News, October 11, 2007]

Of course, in this case, Spitzer is 100 percent correct. But
to Bush, those should be fighting words. They're not though,
since Spitzer is protecting Bush's beloved illegal aliens.

Think about Spitzer's gall. Here we have the liberal
Democratic governor of a northeastern state telling a
self-described conservative Republican
Texas president that his federal government has failed and
he, personally, is "in a fog."

Bush's reaction: nothing.

What Bush should do—to teach Spitzer manners, if no other
reason—is:

Let the word go forth from his
Oval Office that ICE agents should be randomly sent to various
New York DMV offices—perhaps Queens in the morning and maybe the
Bronx in the afternoon—and stand around with their big, black
jackets that say "Police
ICE".

The agents don't necessarily have to DO anything. They can
just hang around
sipping coffee.

Let's see how many illegal aliens come ahead while feds are
standing in the lobby.

Well – why not?

Here's the good news. Whatever happens from here on, Spitzer
has already lost.

"I think he's going to have to
back down, even though he's a pretty stubborn guy. I know it's
going to overwhelmingly pass the Senate, overriding his action."

On any level, a Spitzer defeat is a triumph for us. Looking
at the big picture, the Spitzer fiasco sends the clear message
to all other governors who might in their delusional dreams
envision licenses for aliens as a winning political policy. They
now know that it is a gross political error with serious,
potentially career-ending ramifications.

"Bloomberg was probably trying to
invoke 9/11, which is good, but the real issue is that driver's
licenses for illegals is just another affirmation of the illegal
alien surge by the power elite.

"What Spitzer really means is
that it's immoral and unethical not to coddle illegals, and on
that point, he's the one who's dead wrong."

That's why Spitzer is going to take the fall. He's wrong and
none of his bombast and rhetoric can make him right.

Joe Guzzardi [e-mail
him] is the Editor of VDARE.COM Letters to the Editor.
In addition, he is an English teacher at the Lodi Adult School and has
been writing
a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive
to
VDARE.COM.